Kitchen Garden Forum

A thought-provoking item from the BBC.

Food now costs a fraction of what it did (in real terms) 150 years ago.

Groceries 'cheaper' now than in 1862, Grocer magazine finds

Was I alone in knowing that I spend less of my budget on food than I used to? Whilst the research is useful, it wasn't in any way suprised by the figures.
Despite the complaints you frequently hear, food is very cheap.

Eating out is also cheaper - and children's clothes and shoes. I remember paying £5 for my eldest son's first pair of shoes 34 years ago but that was at a time when my husband earned £3,000 a year and it kept us. 36 years ago I bought all my groceries for £5 a week which I make about a 11th of our income at the time. But that was only groceries because I bought bread and meat and veg. at separate shops.

Many of us who came to Ireland were shocked at the high price of basic foodstuffs compared to the Uk. Indeed when we lived near the border, many would simply pop across to ASDA once a month. Many basics were half price.

LIDL and other foreign chains have made a great difference thankfully which those who live far from them know. It has encouraged the kind of price war that we thrive on! Before Christmas three chains were competing re the price of a large tin of Cadbury's Roses; I bought that for E4 finally! They kept reducing and reducing.. The tin alone is worth that.